KMFDM
Category: Industrial / Electro
Album: Amnesia EP
Stars: 3
Blurb: The three remixes and new track on this latest EP from the Ultra Heavy Beat is sure to be a pleaser for longtime fans.

Love ’em or loathe ’em, KMFDM remains one of the most consistently diverse and aggressive forces in underground music. Pioneering an industrial rock amalgam that has incorporated everything from metal to reggae to disco, and topped off with a range of topics from political to emotional, the Ultra Heavy Beat remains as popular and as forward thinking as ever thanks to a rabidly loyal and ever growing fan base. The band’s latest release, the Amnesia EP, is a follow-up to last year’s KRANK EP and WTF? album, offering three remixes of the title track and a new song to whet the appetites of KMFDM fans eager to get their fix. While the original version of “Amnesia” is present, it does feel somewhat redundant when it follows on the heels of the Käpt’n K. remix; as the remix takes the pulsating disco rock and sensual energy of Lucia’s vocals into a more varied arrangement that begins with a slow but hard hitting beat that finally explodes into dance floor frenzy, it’s just as much an extended version as a remix. The inclusion of the Morse code backdrop from “Krank” and the renowned “Rip the system!” mantra that has been a staple of KMFDM’s music and message since it was first heard on “More & Faster” in 1988 are a pair of nice touches that make the mix all the more enjoyable. Morlocks’ music and mixes have proven to be notable for their grand mix of symphonic atmosphere with the tropes of industrialized beats and sequences, full of bursts of orchestral pomp, and the same can be said of the Mix für Dich remix of “Krank,” making for a nicely epic remix. The Rotersand remix of “Come On – Go Off” on the EP, previously made available only as a DJ promo, is here for listeners to revel in the mesh of rubbery drum & bass synth lines and pumping EBM beats, although its appeal off the dance floor may be in question. Closing out the proceedings is new track, “I <3 You," which struts by with a strident beat augment by some metallic loops for industrial flavor and stuttering synths that are quintessential KMFDM, complete with those characteristic stabs of guitar and Käpt'n K.'s distorted rasp. With its malevolent atmosphere aided by dominant lyrics and some groovy leads that build up to an abrupt but satisfying conclusion, it's a shame more attention wasn't paid to this song to give the Amnesia EP a little more to behold. As it stands, coming more than a year after the release of its parent album, it may seem like a less than stellar entry in the band’s discography. However, it is certainly enjoyable enough and is sure to please longtime fans; in the end, that’s really all who matters to KMFDM… and thank goodness.

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